My journey into dollmaking

Month: November 2018

After not being able to decide on the type of hat, when I put a cashmere jumper on Orla’s head, she just looked so sweet I couldn’t resist. So the decision was made – upcycling it is. Both the green and the grey suited her, so now if one gets lost she has a spare! I made two different types, a simple beanie style and one with a knotted end. Here Orla is modelling her ‘nightcap’ worn with PJs made with Rose Hubble fabric and crocheted slippers.

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….And here she is with the beanie, and yes she is standing up on her own, well technically speaking she is leaning up on her own.

Then there was a gap in the rain and some lovely pink sunlight through the window

This is an introduction to the next custom doll for Niamh and a little bit about necks! Meet this little doll she is 16 inches tall, blonde straight mohair weft and big grey blue eyes. She wears her hair in two braids, and just like my daughter’s hair (many years ago) ……it would look perfect for about 5 minutes and then more and more disheveled as the day went on. This is her first outfit, a little shift dress and beautiful wool coat. I just love the colour and feel of this wool, I’ve been longing to use it. She has got some pyjamas and a pair of slippers for bedtime which are so nearly finished, I’ll show you them soon.

Talk to any doll maker and there is a slight obsession with ‘the neck’ , it must be smooth, wrinkle free and invisible stitches. I’ve been slowly working towards the perfect neck. I was going to show you some little tricks you can do after you have sewn on the neck to get rid of the last wrinkles…..however this doll didn’t have any, she was perfect! I was however told about invisible stitching and it really worked a dream. There’s a great video here showing you the steps. Here’s the doll, and it’s easiest to sew the neck on before the hair!

One final thing she needs is a hat, I’m still not sure what type of hat to make. There’s a nice cloth one here, or I could do another upcycled one like Bella’s or a bonnet like Ottlie or Wren. Oh the decisions! I think I’ll talk to her new mama.